The investigation focuses on a potential insider breach involving a family member’s personal assistant, suspected of unauthorized possession of a hard drive containing unreleased footage.

HYDERABAD: A month ahead of its release, Tollywood’s mythological offering Kannappa, produced by A-lister Mohan Babu with his son Vishnu Manchu in a titular role, has found itself in the middle of real-life drama.A criminal case of alleged data theft has raised suspicion over insider breach, hinting at adeepening family feud.On May 25, Film Nagar police registered a criminal case against two individuals, including a woman said to be personal assistant to a member of the Manchu family, for the “unauthorised possession of a hard drive containing unreleased, and highly sensitive data pertaining to the film”.

The duo, Raghu and Charitha, were charged under Section 316(2) (criminal breach of trust) of the BNS. Investigators are now looking into whether personal relationships within the Manchu family played any role in the breach.The case was booked following a complaint by Vijay Kumar, the film’s executive producer associated with 24 Frames Factory Pvt Ltd -helmed by Vishnu Manchu.The company is perturbed by the alleged breach because the multi-starrer film will see some of film industry’s biggest names like Prabhas, Akshay Kumar, Mohanlal and Kajol come together on screen.

‘Kannappa’ hard drive theft: Family rift under police lens

A senior official confirmed that Charitha works closely with a family member of the producer and lead actor. We are exploring whether a family rift may be connected to this serious security lapse,” a police official said. Film Nagar inspector Santhosham added, “We have called the complainant to record a detailed statement. Further investigation will proceed based on that.”In a statement on Tuesday, the company alleged that a hard drive containing 90 minutes of unreleased footage, including a key action sequence and high-end VFX was “intercepted without authorisation” while it was in transit from Hive Studios in Mumbai to the firm’s Hyderabad office.

“The package was unlawfully received and signed for by an individual named Raghu, who was acting under the instructions of Charitha,” the company stated, adding, “Neither of them are employees, representatives, or associates of the company. Their act constitutes impersonation and theft,” it said.Theft came to light month later. According to the company, the theft came to light a month after the incident when the film team, having not received the drive, contacted Hive Studios to track its status. Hive Studios confirmed that the drive had been delivered on March 25 to the Film Nagar office through a private courier.‘Unlawfully handed’“According to courier company records, the hard disk was received by Raghu, who then unlawfully handed it over to Charitha without any authorisation,” said Vijay Kumar in his complaint to the police. He added: “Despite repeated attempts to contact her, she remained evasive and unresponsive. This unauthorised possession presents a serious threat to our project. Any leak or compromise could lead to significant financial loss and irreparable damage to our company.”The company also alleged that certain individuals may be plotting to leak the footage online as part of an effort to derail the film’s release, raising fears of deliberate sabotage. Directed by Mukesh Kumar Singh, Kannappa is based on the legendary tale of the Shiva devotee Kannappa and is being produced on a grand, pan-Indian scale.The film’s mythological theme and ensemble cast have already drawn widespread attention, making it one of the most ambitious projects under the Manchu family’s banner.